The Florida Highway Patrol says five people, including two young children, are dead following a fiery crash on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Coconut Palm Drive in Tampa.
Troopers said in a news release that 9-year-old John Bernal, 10-year-old Isabell Bernal and 39-year-old Marianela Murillo died in the four-vehicle crash shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Two other passengers in the van - 15-year-old Luisa Louisa and 18-year-old Lina Bernal - are in critical condition. The van caught fire after the crash.
An incident report says that for unknown reasons, 22-year-old Pablo Cortes Jr. lost control of his car, crossed a median and hit the other vehicles head on. A 19-year-old passenger Jolie Bartolome also died in the crash.
The driver of the third vehicle has serious injuries.
The crash closed roads in the area until around 4 a.m. Thursday.
